Man who used sledgehammer to kill injured dog arrested for animal abuse!

Police say a Phoenix man went too far when he apparently tried to end a dog’s suffering after it was hit by a car.

At least one witness told police that Ivan Lawrence, 49, got a sledgehammer and hit a neighbor’s dog twice.

He hit him in the head in front of multiple people, including children. They tried to persuade him not to, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Lawrence is facing charges of felony animal abuse and failing to render aid. He was being held Thursday in a Maricopa County jail in lieu of a $2,000 bond.

He told police that killing the dog was a mercy because it was obviously in pain.

Ivan Lawrence (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

Family dog strayed from property

The owners of the dog, a 3-year-old pit bull named Beau, were not home when Beau and another family dog strayed from their property near 37th and Oak streets on Sunday.

Only Beau had been hit by a car and appeared to be struck by a second vehicle by the time he exited the roadway, limping.

Beau’s owner, Kym Jesus-Garcia, said she was told that the family’s other dog helped Beau to the front porch.

Neighbors gathered, and at least one witness told police that they were planning to take the injured animal to a 24-hour medical clinic.

Jesus-Garcia said neighbors needed help getting the heavy dog into a vehicle, so a neighbor went inside her home to retrieve her husband, suggesting he could help.

At his initial court appearance, Ivan Lawrence was told that he cannot have contact with any animals, not even his own pets. (Source: Superior Court)

It was then that Lawrence came out of his house with a 3-foot-long sledgehammer, according to police.

Jesus-Garcia said five to six people claimed to have been in the front yard during the incident. Police said witnesses argued with Lawrence for about 10 minutes to try and dissuade him from killing the dog, according to court documents.

Witnesses reported that the dog was not whining and there wasn’t much blood, records show.